Spiritual coping, perceived growth, and the moderating role of spiritual mindfulness in cancer survivors

Religious Coping as Mediator of Sense of Competence and Post-traumatic Growth in Mothers of Children With Cerebral Palsy

OBJECTIVES

The present study aimed to determine whether religious coping mediates the relationship between parenting sense of competence (PSOC) and post-traumatic growth (PTG).

METHOD

Cross-sectional research design was used. A sample of 74 mothers (age range; 20-45 years) of CP children (age range; 2-9 years) was collected through purposive sampling from different physiotherapy centres and special education schools of Lahore. PSOC scale, brief RCOPE and PTG inventory were used.

RESULTS

Positive religious coping partially mediated (β = 0.190, 95% CI [0.026, 0.374], p < 0.05) between PSOC and PTG. Partial mediation exists between PSOC and appreciation of life through pathway of positive religious coping (β = 0.040, 95% CI [0.007, 0.075], p < 05). Full mediation exists between PSOC and personal strength through pathway of positive religious coping (β = 0.041, 95% CI [0.001, 0.081], p < 0.05) and through negative religious coping (β = 0.034, 95% CI [0.002, 0.066], p < 0.05). Positive religious coping fully mediated (β = 0.029, 95% CI [0.007, 0.058], p < 0.05) between PSOC and spiritual change. Moreover, indirect effect of PSOC on relating to others and new possibilities through positive and negative religious coping was non-significant, indicating no mediation.

CONCLUSION

Positive religious coping affected the association between PSOC and PTG, that is, mothers of CP children having high parenting competence are more likely to use positive religious coping strategies that results in more PTG.

Solace for the Cankered Soul

The scourge of cancer mortally wounds the soul. From the time of diagnosis, the spiritual shock should be recognized, acknowledged, and addressed in concert with the personalized management strategy for the tumor. Optimal cancer care treats both body and soul. Psycho-oncology theory defines existential issues and spirituality in conceptually ambiguous terms but, in reality, such afflictions of the spirit cause great suffering in cancer patients. Patients often seek reassurance that their life has purpose and meaning, and the provision of emotional and soulful support from their oncologist is of inestimable importance to spiritual well-being. In addition to the time and resource constraints of daily clinical practice, recent challenges to the personal doctor-patient relationship include e-medicine and virtual clinical encounters, and the potential disruption to be wrought by new generation artificial intelligence. These obstacles are addressed with a view to the physician being able to continue to provide empathic compassionate care. The art of Kintsugi is invoked to offer a metaphor for restoration of the soul afflicted by cancer.

Spirituality and Well-Being: Theory, Science, and the Nature Connection

The links between spirituality and eudaimonic well-being are examined, beginning with a look at theoretical issues as to whether spirituality is best construed as part of well-being, or as a possible influence on well-being. A brief review of scientific findings from the MIDUS study linking religion and spirituality to well-being and other outcomes is then provided to show recent empirical work on these topics. Suggestions for future work are also provided. The third section is forward-thinking and addresses the power of nature to nurture spirituality and well-being, beginning with a look at how current research has linked nature to human flourishing. Issues of spirituality are rarely mentioned in this literature, despite evidence that nature has long been a source of inspiration in poetry, literature, art, and music. These works reveal that the natural world speaks to the human soul. To explore such ideas, parts of Jungian psychology are revisited: the soul's longing for poetry, myth, and metaphor; the importance of animism, which sees nature as a field inhabited by spirit; and the devaluing of ancient cultures. The final section considers the wisdom of the indigenous peoples who saw spirit in everything. Their inputs, exemplified with "Two-Eyed Seeing", offer new visions for thinking about the interplay of spirituality, well-being, and the natural world.

Mindfulness-based arts interventions for cancer care: A systematic review of the effects on wellbeing and fatigue

OBJECTIVE

Upon receiving a cancer diagnosis, life irrevocably changes and complex experiences of emotional distress often occur. There is a growing interest in mindfulness-based arts interventions (MBAIs) to ameliorate the distress many patients experience. Our review objective was to synthesize the evidence on the effectiveness of MBAIs on psychological wellbeing and fatigue.

METHOD

Relevant quantitative articles were identified through a systematic search of the grey literature and online databases including MEDLINE, CINAHL, Cochrane CENTRAL, Art Full Text, ART bibliographies Modern, PsycINFO, Scopus, and EMBASE. Two independent reviewers screened titles/abstracts against predetermined inclusion criteria, read full-text articles for eligibility, conducted quality appraisals of included articles, and extracted pertinent data with a standardized data extraction form. The heterogeneity of the included studies precluded a meta-analysis and a narrative synthesis of study outcomes was conducted.

RESULTS

Our systematic search retrieved 4241 titles/abstracts, and 13 studies met our inclusion criteria (eight randomized controlled trials and five quasi-experiments). Most of the studies focused on patients with cancer (92.3%). There is a growing interest in MBAIs over time and significant heterogeneity in the types of interventions. A significant effect was found on several outcomes that are important in psychosocial oncology: quality of life, psychological state, spiritual wellbeing, and mindfulness. The effect on fatigue was equivocal.

CONCLUSIONS

This novel intervention demonstrates promise for the psychosocial care of patients with cancer. These findings are an essential antecedent to the continued implementation, development, and evaluation of MBAIs in oncology.

A moderated mediation model of perceived stress, negative emotions and mindfulness on fertility quality of life in women with recurrent pregnancy loss

PURPOSE

This study aimed to investigate the level of fertility related quality of life (FertiQoL) in women with recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL), and to further examine moderated mediation effects of dispositional mindfulness and negative emotions on the relationship between perceived stress and FertiQoL.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted with 262 participants recruited from the infertility outpatient clinics. A self-administered, structured questionnaire including the Simplified Chinese version of FertiQoL tool, the Perceived Stress Scale-10 (PSS-10), the Chinese Version of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and the Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) was used to collect information in this research. The mediation model and moderated mediation model were conducted using the PROCESS macro for SPSS.

RESULTS

The mean score of Core FertiQoL was 64.59 (SD = 14.76) among women with RPL. Mediation analysis revealed that the association between perceived stress and FertiQoL was partially mediated by negative emotions (indirect effect = - 0.194 for anxiety, and - 0.151 for depression, all P < 0.001). Moderated mediation analysis indicated that the indirect effects of perceived stress on FertiQoL through negative emotions were significantly moderated by dispositional mindfulness. Specifically, the indirect effects of perceived stress on FertiQoL through negative emotions decreased were significant as dispositional mindfulness levels increased.

CONCLUSION

Overall, women with RPL experienced poor FertiQoL. The Moderated mediation model provides a better understanding of how perceived stress, negative emotions and dispositional mindfulness work together to affect FertiQoL. Interventions aiming to improve FertiQoL in women with RPL should consider targeting these aspects.